Capitol Hill

(Photo from Twitter) Legislative crises have becoming a Holiday Season tradition in Washington right up there with powerful officials mingling with other powerful officials at invitation-only parties. But, thankfully, a snarky soul has created a Twitter account to help us all cope. On Tuesday evening, senior lawmakers rolled out what’s called a “cromnibus.” You may…

There have been television dramas about presidents. And FBI agents. And CIA operatives. And a double agent-turned-hero congressman-turned suicide bomber-turned American agent. But now — finally? — CBS has given us a new drama, “Madam Secretary,” about a fictional secretary of state.

In our first CongressWatch Minute, Senior Congressional Reporter John T. Bennett discusses why Congress may stumble and bicker into failing to grant the Pentagon’s request for extra funding for Israel’s Iron Dome before leaving for a five-week summer break — even though the proposal has broad support among members of both parties in the House and…

As the congressional oversight panels continue their review of the Pentagon’s $58.6 billion 2015 Overseas Contingency Operations budget request, much of the focus has been on the high-profile items, such as a $4 billion request for a new counterterrorism fund and $1 billion to boost US military presence in Europe. But the request includes $53 billion…

If a US combatant commander stationed somewhere around the globe feels that the one thing the command is missing is the ability to detect missiles, airplanes and drones hundreds of miles away, the US Army has just what they’re looking for. Almost a decade after it first began development—and just two years after a 2012…

Tucked into the Senate Armed Services Committee 2015 defense bill markup that was made public this week was a little item that might not make the folks over at General Dynamics too happy. Specifically, one line line suggests that the Army should open up the $2.5 billion logistical support contract for GD’s Stryker infantry carrier…

Buried beneath the nasty political brawl over the Obama administration’s swap of five senior Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is Obama’s cold-blooded strategic thinking. And President Barack Obama’s big gamble already has deepened Republicans’ frustrations with him, which could make easing sequestration a political impossibility.

The head of the National Security Agency insisted today that contrary to recent reports, his organization does not collect facial recognition data on US citizens – on purpose. “We do not do this in some unilateral basis against US citizens,” insisted Adm. Michael Rogers. “We have very specific restrictions when it comes to US persons.”…

Rumors are swirling that celebrity chef Robert Irvine — host of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible — is opening a new eatery in the Pentagon. The former Royal Navy chef tweeted on Monday that he was traveling to DC for meeting about opening a restaurant in the Pentagon (see below). It’s not yet clear if Irvine will soon be feeding the the…

Like former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, does not like it when he sees retired generals making political statements. Dempsey’s view: If you are a retired officer and want to run for political office, go for it. If not, keep your mouth closed. “If you want to get out…